The Porsche Vision 357 Speedster Is an All-Electric 356 Reimagining
Now there’s a combustion-engined and electric version of the 357 concept that Porsche, unfortunately, won’t sell us.
Back in January, Porsche showed the world its Vision 357—a 493-horsepower concept styled after the automaker's first car, the 356. Built to commemorate 75 years of the brand's existence, the company has found something else to celebrate. It's put together another 357 to mark the occasion of 30 years of Goodwood—this time the car's a sleek roofless speedster.
The so-called Vision 357 Speedster is aesthetically very similar to its coupe counterpart and underpinned by the 718 GT4 e-Performance. Powertrain-wise it couldn't be more different than its slicktop sibling, though. While the original 357 concept gets power from a six-cylinder Cayman GT4 RS engine, the Speedster is completely electric, built with parts from its Mission R electric motorsports concept. It's doubtlessly fast, though Porsche doesn't go into details on the power figures or battery size.
The focus here is mostly on aesthetics. This is a concept car, after all. As opposed to the sleek roofline of the coupe, the speedster offers a single deck-mounted carbon fiber roll hoop to protect the driver. It's set behind a swept-back windshield with no upper bezel. The passenger's seat is covered by a fabric tonneau cover, which Porsche says was typical of the era that the concept draws inspiration from. Many other speedster concepts from other automakers have had a similar tonneau cover and a single or twin roll hoop.
The paint job even draws inspiration from past Porsches. The front splash of Miami Blue paint is intended to mask rock chips from the racetrack. The numerical 75s all over the car are also a pretty clear callback to the brand's history. Magnesium wheels with carbon fiber center caps top off the retro-futuristic look.
The car is currently on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Porsche has not stated any intention to put it or its coupe counterpart into production.
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